Page 36 of Salt Between the Wolves

When the song finally faded, silence returned without feeling empty.

Riven stared into the fire for a while before speaking.

“You know what I'm going to do after this winter?”

The question seemed directed toward no one in particular, though several wolves looked over anyway.

“What?”

“Sleep.”

“That's ambitious, is it?”

“Very.”

The circle chuckled.

Riven took another drink before continuing.

“No, seriously. I want to spend a season near the western coast.”

That earned several surprised looks.

“The coast?”

“There's water as far as you can see.”

“You say that every time.”

“Because none of you believe me.”

One of the older hunters snorted.

“We've seen water before.”

“Not like that.”

Riven leaned back, his eyes reflecting the firelight.

“There's no opposite shore. No mountains behind it. Nothing at all.”

He gestured vaguely into the darkness.

“It just keeps going.”

Eira found herself watching him. The excitement in his voice was impossible to miss.

“You've been there?”

“Once.”

His smile returned immediately.

“My uncle took me when I was fourteen.”

“That explains a lot,” someone muttered.

Riven ignored him.